Heavy
by candyflavordlies
Summary: Losing balance is sort of a very big thing for members of the Hatter clan. He isn't ignorant enough to think this has nothing to do with her. He's also not stupid enough to think this has *only* to do with her. Sequel to Some Sort of Fairy Tale. UPDATED!
1. The Man Behind The Glass Window

_Author's Notes: Ha! Bet you thought I was lying when I said there would be a sequel! This is going to turn out to be significantly longer than __**Some Sort of Fairy Tale**__ and hopefully satiates your curiosity in regards to things alluded to in that story. (If you haven't read it, you may be confused, so go check it out.) Enjoy!_

**Chapter 1 – The Man Behind The Glass Window**

It's not until sixteen hours later, when he's lying alone in his bed, that he realizes that he misses Alice. And damn it all to hell, hadn't he just spent the last day promising himself that he wouldn't?

The bed feels wrong - cold and empty and way too big for someone like him. The sheets are rumpled and smell of someone else and he pretends that it isn't her. He pretends that his pillows have always carried those indentations and that the long dark strand of hair he'd found earlier is all a part of his very active imagination. But as he's learned in the past few days, he's a terrible liar.

He doesn't sleep well that night, or the one after that. Each day, Dormie stops by and they talk just to talk. He's as lost as Hatter feels but they both make a show of keeping it together.

On day six, Dormie is the first to break.

"Don't really have a clue what I'm supposed to be doing." His voice is grim as he stares into his glass.

"Robbing someone blind, I imagine."

"Not much to take, is there?" It's Hatter's turn to stare into his cup because the biting mark is as true as it has ever been.

Dormie begins to fidget as the silence closes in around them.

"What about you? Got some fancy plan to get this place back on its feet again?"

Hatter shrugs and throws back the last of the clear liquid in his glass.

"I can't say that I do."

That night, as all of the others, he can't fall asleep. It's eerily quite, what with half the population gone and the other holed up in their homes, there wasn't even the silent click of the Suits patrolling the city. He closes his eyes again and, though he knows he should be, isn't surprised to see two very familiar men.

The Hands of Time are sitting at a work table, pieces and parts of a machine spread out before them. The one in red leans forward and shakes his head.

"The clock ticks..."

The one in blue leans in as well, peers down at the device. "Ah but it doesn't tock. A bit off kilter, my boy. Keep the balance, keep the body. Keep the body, steady goes the mind."

Hatter clears his throat. "Fancy meeting you two here."

The one in red gives him an odd look. "Fancy meeting you here at all."

His counterpart rises, wiping oil covered hands on the denim of his coveralls.

"Quite the ordeal you went through. Glad to see you made it through."

"Glad to find you in one piece."

"Yes, well, always like to keep my bits in one place."

"And yet..." They cock their heads in unison, listening for something it seems and Hatter takes a moment to do the same. There's a noise in the background, something familiar but out of place. "And yet, it appears that not everything is as it should be, young Hatter. No, something isn't right at all." There's a frown gracing the faces of both men and it causes something in his stomach to knot.

"You'll want to sort that out, my boy. After all, you've come this far."

And with that they're gone and the sun is rising and, despite the ominous message, Hatter is not scared, but utterly confused. Because now he can hear the unnatural stutter of the clock, can feel that something _is_ fundamentally wrong with the sound.

He isn't ignorant enough to think this has nothing to do with a certain brown haired, blue eyed oyster. He's also not stupid enough to think this has _only_ to do with her.

The thing is, losing balance is sort of a very big thing for members of the Hatter clan. It's a fine line between sanity and madness and it didn't take much to tip a person the wrong way. Without the benefit of sanity, there was nothing standing between the Phantom Library and those with the will and ability to infiltrate it.

Hatter sits up and sighs, the beginning of a headache settling just behind his temples.

Introspection has never been one of his favorite past times and Gods knew he'd had more than his fair share of it in the last few days. None of this matters, of course, because whether or not he likes it, he needs to figure this out.


	2. The Push and The Pull, Pt 1

_Author's Note: Dear Angry fans, I beg your forgiveness. It's crazy what life can turn into when transitioning from one job to an event to a new job and shortly after participating at the New York Comic Con (which was absolutely awesome!). I know it's been some time since I've updated and I'm sorry to keep you all waiting. I haven't abandoned this story – in fact, I've already written the next 1.5 chapters and mapped the whole thing out. Look at me being productive. Anywho, I hope you enjoy and thanks for sticking with me _

**Heavy, Pt 2: The Push and The Pull – Part 1**

Dormie finds Hatter in the disheveled remains of his office. He's slumped over his desk, chin resting on his crossed arms. He looks much too young and much too lost for the man Dormie has come to know. The room is in disarray with glass tea shelves and dozens of books thrown about. The grass is marred with holes and clumps of dirt that have been kicked up in the exodus. The rack of clothing is empty and the smaller man cringes because he knows how much those items meant. Dormie throws his shoulders back, determined to keep his head above this mess of things. There's a long road ahead of them and they need to start somewhere so he reaches for one book and then another until he's hidden behind a stack and starts to list to one side.

"A little help here?"

"Hmm?"

"These things aren't made of feathers, you know."

The younger man shakes his head as if to clear it and reaches over to grab a few of the tomes from his friend. He sets them delicately on the desk. Dormie drops the rest next to them and is already across the room, looking for something to sweep up the broken shards of glass.

"Well, come on. This place isn't going to clean itself up."

"You're in quite a mood." Hatter watches his companion a few moments before he feels compelled to help. They work in contemplative silence until all of the books and furniture, glass and clothing are in a proper place. The room isn't exactly pretty - it still looks very much like a storm has made its way through it. But there's a sense of accomplishment, a sense that despite the complete breakdown of everything they've ever known, they're moving forward.

In the midst of trying to put the front of the store together, a messenger arrives. He's wearing the Aces Suite and it instantly puts the two men on high alert. Hatter steps forward, both putting himself between the visitor and Dormie and preventing further entrance. The man offers a short bow before straightening up.

"The King sends his regards."

"Fancy that." He cranes his neck, sure not to take his eyes off of the unwelcomed visitor. "Dormie, why don't you take a trip to the study and see if you can find the number of that carpenter fellow."

Never claiming to be either brave or suicidal, Dormie takes his cue and slips away to the back room. He knows Hatter can take care of himself in a fight. He also knows that _he_ cannot.

Once Hatter is sure his friend is safe behind closed doors, he focuses on the man in front of him.

"Talk. And make it quick."

"As you know, the Oysters have been returned to their world." At the Shoppe Owner's disinterested stare, the agent continues. "Due to the mirror's instability at the time, some of the initial travelers sustained minor injuries."

"Define minor." Hatter flexes his fist as his body tenses. The King doesn't send his personal guard for "minor" instances. And the term "initial travelers" most definitely indicated this very likely had everything to do with a very important and very specific Oyster.

The Ace clears his throat and weighs his options. The darkening features of the man in front of him seem to indicate that he should speak now and/or run away quickly and as far as possible. However, duty-bound to his king, he has a mission to complete, so he soldiers on and hopes that he is compensated (karmically or monetary wise, with no real preference) for this.

"The Oy..." The man stutters before clearing his throat once more. "The Lady Alice suffered a concussion."

"I beg your pardon?" The Ace takes a conscious step back at both the tone and the completely nonimagined and literal darkening of the man's eyes.

"I assure you, she is well. An agent was sent through shortly afterwards. She was taken to a nearby hospital and her immediate family was notified."

Hatter takes a moment to breathe, count and refocus. It's only years of practice that holds his temper and his tongue. He'd love to give the King and his scientist a talking to, preferably with violence, but if there's anything he's learned under the Queen of Hearts's reign, it was never to burn bridges.

The silence is awkward and the Ace fidgets back and forth under Hatter's unwavering gaze.

"Anything else you care to share?"

"The King wishes to know if you will require passage through the Looking Glass."

Hatter is absolutely sure that he's misheard him. Jack Heart wouldn't possibly make it that simple, would he?

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard that correctly."

"His majesty will grant you passage should ask it, on but one condition."

"Of course." He makes sure to infuse those two words with as much sarcasm as possible. "And this condition is?"

"To deliver a message to the Lady Alice. He will deliver it to you and you alone to insure it reaches her."

"Imagine that." Hatter shrugs. "You tell your Majesty that I have no plans to leave Wonderland as of yet." He turns away, hands tucked firmly in his pockets. "But," He throws over his shoulder, "Should I change my mind, he'll be the first to know."

Taking it as a dismissal, the Ace bows to the man's back and makes a hasty, but never undignified, retreat.


	3. A Wish And Then We're Gone

_Author's Note: My job has eaten my life. I love it, I really do, but holy hell, this chapter has been sitting on my Ipod, ready to go, since I posted the last chapter. Absolute madness, I tell you!_

_Now, you'll notice that dialouge and events are starting to diverge slightly from what was depicted in __**Alice**__. This story isn't necessarily AU. It pretty much runs it's course as you would expect, save for one of two things that don't logically fit. And I hate rehashing dialouge, so yeah...on with the show!_

**Chapter 3: A Wish and Then We're Gone**

She wishes she could change it, wishes she'd kissed him in that moment. Wishes she'd hugged him longer, harder, kept hold of him until they couldn't breath and she should have kissed him.

She hates the memory because it's fuzzy and she needs to remember him. It's hard when her head is throbbing and all she can feel is the ache in the pit of her stomach. Her mother is talking, trying to soothe her but it does her no good. She misses her father, she misses her sanity, she misses Hatter. Except she's not even sure there is a Hatter. She remembers his voice and his stupid hats. She remembers his accent and his garish clothes and _God_ she remembers everything except that here in this hospital bed, there's no proof.

The nurses come and go and soon it's all a blur. They talk to her, test her eyes and her knees and ask her impossible questions like today's date. Alice doesn't care and she tells them as much before she asks everyone to leave. She's angry, as seems to be the norm this week and she doesn't want hollow words or anymore confusion.

Where's her father?

Where's Wonderland?

Where's Jack? Charlie? Hatter? Where is everyone and why is she alone in a hospital bed?

She knows the answers, of course, but she wishes she didn't.

She can't or doesn't want to readjust. Her brain doesn't want to be independent at this moment, doesn't want to be rational or understanding, doesn't want to be here right now.

Half an hour of self pitying later and her mother comes back to check on her. Her eyes are puffy and she looks as tired as Alice feels. She plasters on a smile and makes her way to the side of the bed. She peers down at her daughter, trying to figure out what happened in the short time that she was gone, what's made her so bitter and angry. She shakes her head, trying to clear it of the memories of the last few hours. She'll defer to the hospital staff when they say it's the effects of a slight concussion and let it be.

"The doctor says you'll be out of here by morning. In the meantime, I'll try and find us something to eat." Carol offers her a tentative pat on the knee before she's gone again.

When her mother returns, she's carrying a tray of anything she could find - fruits, carrots, celery, applesauce, a tuna sandwich but Alice can barely stomach any of it. She nibbles at the applesauce but doesn't dare attempt to try anything else. She wants, bitterly, to be sitting in a forest now with a White Knight and a trickster, eating Borogrove and running for her dear life.

In the silence, Alice finally gets up the courage to ask her mother how long she's been gone.

The answer shatters her world.

An hour?

It isn't possible and yet the clock on the wall confirms it with each dreadful tic of the hands.

An hour.

Impossible is the word of the day and though she was oh so sure less than ten minutes ago, she isn't now. Impossible seems just that and she starts to wonder, starts to fear the impossible, starts to fear the waking up.

Even with all her strength, Alice can't hold in the tears. Is it possible that all of this was nothing more than a dream? Had she found her father? Met a knight? Seen real magic? Had she met two doctors of doom? Helped rescue a kingdom? Seen a creature that had never existed in her world? Faced it and live to tell the tale? The more she thinks about it, the sillier it seems.

But silly as it seems, she wants it very much to be real.

Carol doesn't know what to say or do with Alice in this state. It breaks her heart to see her daughter in so much pain and she can't help but think this has everything to do with that Jack character. She knows better than to ask about it and Alice hasn't offered any information so she sets it to the back of her mind and hopes whatever happened, it hasn't further broken her little girl.

"He's gone."

She's broken from her reverie by the shaken words that escape from Alice's lips.

"Who's gone honey?"

She doesn't get anymore from her and she doesn't try. The tears and the sobbing cause her heart to clench even as she tries to sooth her daughter's pain.

There's nothing that Carol can do or say so she holds her cold hand tightly and whispers to her words of reassurance.


	4. The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore

_Author's Note: I know, I know, I'm taking forever! And to boot, I've slacked on answering reviewers. But look, here's a new chapter. Isn't it shiny?_

_As I wrote chapter 3, I realized that the story was growing way beyond the scope of what I originally anticipated. Unlike Some Sort Of Fairytale, Heavy is going to be much longer. I'm actually very excited about this little development since it means I get to play with the characters about, both mine and those introduced in the show. With that said, updates will be every 1 – 2 weeks, consistently until we reach journey's end. _

_So, apologies for the delays, hope you like and…yeah. Have fun!_

**Chapter 4: The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore**

Hatter wonders if this is normal, this consciousness of his own mental demise. He knows that this is wrong, that _he_ is wrong and doesn't have the power to change that.

Meeting Alice, as much as he treasures it, is the source of this very peculiar madness.

He hadn't thought on it before, never had a reason to but the more he thinks about it, the clearer it becomes.

He's always been his own man and has never, in his adult life, had to answer for the things he's done. He's always pegged himself a conman with a heart of gold but rationalizing never has and never will make what he's done one hundred percent right. And try as he might, he cannot deny shirking his responsibilities. He's lived a wonderfully carefree life, with only his own well being under his charge when everything in his upbringing says that he should be the one protecting the things around him.

His father, rest his soul, was a man of honor and integrity and Hatter knows that seeing Underland in this state would absolutely break his heart.

And that, he supposes, is the crux of the matter. What has he done to stop this? What has he given to the resistance but snippets valuable enough to keep him in good graces but small enough to keep him off of the Queen's radar? And while he sat, safe and mildly content, so many, many lives have suffered.

He remembers his father, a giant to his seven-year-old stature. He remembers the first time he'd notice the Bloodlines. He remembers the pride in his father's eyes and the grave words he'd spoken that day. 

Hatter shudders, a dark chill running down his spine as he ponders the things that make him a man. He shakes his head, trying to clear the fog that seems to have settled there but try as he might, he cannot shake the gray clouds that cover the images before him. 

_"Da! Look!" A young Hatter waves his arm excitedly. His long sleeve is rolled up to his shoulder and even in the dim light of the cabin, he can make out the first few lines of the symbol._

The smile on the elder Hatter's face doesn't quite reach his eyes, but David takes no notice of this as he throws himself into his father's lap.

"What does it say?"

"Look closely. What do you see?"

The boy contorts, turning his body one way and then the other, and squints until his eyes hurt from the strain, but finally, he can just make out the complete outline under his skin.  
"I think it says... Strength?"

_"Very good, David. This symbol is unique to only you. It will grant you immeasurable strength, but only in this arm." He taps it gently._

"Well that doesn't seem very helpful. "

"It requires a conscious decision, one that must be weighed carefully. Should you attack a man with all your strength, it will be fatal. It is a burden you must carry, along with these words. Listen closely my son, for I can only tell you this once."

_He pulls his son close, chin tucked against his head as he lowers his voice and David wonders who he thinks might be listening._

"Underland is a place of great enchantment. And as we watch over her, she will watch over us. There are dark times coming. We are the protectors, the warriors, the knights. We are unsung heroes and so we shall always be. Forever will we be protector of the rightful heirs to the thrown of Underland. But know this. Should the time come when Underland is at its darkest, when the very sky and soil weep from her losses, a woman will come by the name of Alice."

"The Alice?" David asks excitedly.

"No, my child. Alice of Legend has paid her dues to Underland and carried out the rest of her life in the other world. No, this will be a new Alice and only one with such a name will save Underland. Should she come, David, you must protect her with your life."

"How will I know it's her?"

A rare smile graces his father's face.

"Oh my child, you will know. There will be such a fluttering in your chest, like a thousands butterflies. And she will infuriate you like no other. And despite the odds, despite the distance, she will find you. Underland herself will deliver her into your very hands."

The elder Hatter sighs so deeply the young boy sinks into him. His father holds him closer for one long moment before he pulls away to look him in the eye.

"You know what it is we carry, David. There are others, others with magics you cannot fathom. While you dream of the Creatures of Mythos, and fear the dreaded Jabberwok, they conjured evils that cannot be put into words. They can weave such magic as to make a man forget himself. Know the sound of your clock and you can never be fooled. But I warn you David. Should you ever come across such magic, you must run."

The words all but freeze young Hatter in his place. His father, not a small man by any means, nor one to be trifled with has never backed down from anything. To hear him speak with pure fear...the young boy cannot begin to imagine what lies ahead.

"How can I win against something so strong?" He shivers trying his best to imagine himself a full grown man facing down an unseen evil.

"Alice."

"Alice?" He repeats it doubtfully. A girl was supposed to save him? He didn't think a girl was much stronger than his father and as David looks up, he can see his father's concern etched into his face as deeply as the telltale signs of age.

"She will be your guide, your compass. And if you are lost, she will find you. There are those who would tear your mind apart to glimpse at what lies within. They know things, dreadful, horrible things and if they get their hands on the Library, it is the end of Underland. When you lose faith, seek Alice, and she will be your anchor. She and she alone may know your past as she will share so much of your future."

David nods solemnly and leans into his father once again. When he speaks, his voice is thick with emotion.

"Though I pray these times never come," He squeezes his son against his chest and chokes back the tightness in his throat, "I can feel it closing in each day."

Knowing what he does, it's no wonder his mind is in such a state of disarray. Alice, ihis/i Alice, had come to him, just as his father said she would. And the darkest times in Underland had fallen upon them not long after the former King's demise and everything is as his father had predicted it would come to pass. And yet the role Hatter was to play had come and gone, blazed by in a blink of an eye.

Hours have gone and his heart only grows heavier with each thought, with each revelation. He rests his forehead on the aged wood of the massive tea table. He doesn't dare close his eyes because he knows there's nothing there that he wants to see. So he stares straight into the creases and crevices, wonders what hides in there and if he could ever fit.


	5. Whispers On The Wind

_Author's Note: I know, I know. It's been **forever****. **And I apologize. I mean to keep up with this, and I have notes scribbled everywhere but I never seem to have the time. It's a shame because I'm in love with this story and where I want it to go. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with. You're the best . Now, on with the show!_

_**Chapter 5: Whispers On The Wind**_

The raven's call wakes him from a fitful sleep. It echoes through the night though Hatter knows the sound is only in his head.

The second squawk is louder, persistent, enough to send a shiver up his spine. He knows better than to ignore it but he can't say that he's anything but dreadful at the thought of what it might mean.

He wonders what it is the bird hears that he doesn't but it takes only moments before he hears it too and his blood runs cold.

Because Hatter knows the whispers of his madness and these aren't his.

Deep with malice, light as the swiftest wind, there are voices in the night. Voices not of this world and nothing he has ever heard before. But he recognizes them all the same.

They're the very things his father has warned him about.

_They're coming._

This whisper is simultaneously his and the hares as he hears the small voice somewhere in the recesses of his mind.

_And we must go._

He's never felt an urge as strong as he does in that moment. He wants to run, with all his might, with every inch of his being until the voices stop, all of them, and he's alone in his world.  
He closes his eyes.

_"You mustn't frighten him."_

"We must go young Hatter."  
  
"Go where?" He hears his own confused voice ask.

_"To Alice, of course."_

"To the other side."

"Bring her back."

"Wonderland needs you both."

The chatter makes his head hurt and the whispers make his skin crawl. He spends the better part of the night trying to make them both shut up.

Sunrise comes with the swell of birdsongs and crisps lines of bright light and it all seems grossly out of place.

He doesn't want to, really wished he didn't have to but Hatter has missed his calling once and he won't risk doing it again.

He gets dressed, pulls on the most ostentatious shirt he can find because even in his worst times, a silly shirt has always made him forget to take life seriously.

After a cup of tea that does nothing to calm his nerves, Hatter makes his way down to his Tea Shoppe. He's surprised to see Dormie there, waiting as patiently as the little man can muster.

"Late morning?"

Hatter doesn't bother with a reply. The way Dormie is shifting in his seat let's him know that something is up and he's just stalling.

"Caterpillar's been looking for you." The question 'why' is silently tacked on but Hatter hasn't a clue and he can't say that he really cares. "And the Mage down in Hazard's Alley says there've been strange things happening. Things the resistance is interested in. They say..."

Before his friend can tell him the things he's scared to know, Hatter shrugs his coat on and ushers the man from his bar stool.

"There're some things I need to do and I might be gone for a bit." He stares at his longtime friend, trying to remember a time when all this mess was a far off impossibility.

Dormie takes Hatter's silence and the intensity in his eyes for what is - frightening and foreboding. He's never known the man to be without a smile, no matter how sarcastic the gesture. Yet here he is, a firm hand reaching out to grip his shoulder. The swirling browns of Hatter's eyes seem to be succumbing to drowning blacks of his pupils and if Dormie isn't careful, he's likely to get pulled into it.

"I think it's best you don't come around. Just for a while."

Dormie nods because what else is supposed to do? He hasn't got much else going for him except for his job at the Tea Shoppe and here Hatter is telling him not to come back. He opens his mouth to protest but the hand on his shoulder tightens and the smile his friend gives him is filled with sadness.

"Just for a while." 


End file.
